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Below you will find a clip featuring the “War on the Mainland” PPV promo spot. Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia takes on power punching Paul Buentello in the main event, live from Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.

This promo is produced much better then the last time I saw Tim Sylvia in a PPV promo, which was one of the most God awful things I have ever seen. The below clip shows the video, as well the result of the actual fight between Sylvia and Mercer.

Winner will appear on the fight card which includes the nationally televised Bellator Fox Sports Net Broadcast at the Kansas City Power & Light District

KANSAS CITY (March 1, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships, Everlast and The Kansas City Power & Light District announced today that they are sponsoring an open tryout that will provide a once-in-a-lifetime chance for undiscovered fighters to earn a spot in one of the promotion’s upcoming nationally televised Season 2 events.

The winner will participate in a featured fight during Bellator’s April 29th event at the Power & Light District, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue at the center of downtown Kansas City owned and operated by The Cordish Company. The event, like all of Bellator’s Season 2 and 3 events, will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net and during special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo.

The tryouts–which are presented in partnership with Everlast–will take place on Saturday, March 6th at Ringside, Inc.’s John Brown Training Center in Lenexa, Kansas. Members of the media are cordially invited to attend. Fighter registration begins at 12 noon with tryouts starting at 1 p.m.

“In the spirit of Rocky Balboa, this tryout will give an undiscovered up-and-coming fighter the chance of a lifetime to be highlighted on a national stage,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We look forward to seeing a solid pool of fighters who are looking for their shot to compete at a world-class level.”

Professional Mixed Martial Arts fighters with valid Federal ID cards are encouraged to sign up. The open tryouts will be held in a cage and will include grappling and bag-striking. Competitors will be judged by Bellator Fighting Championships executives and officials. To participate, fighters must provide proof of at least two professional fights. Participants are expected to bring their Federal I.D. and their own protective gear.

The April 29th event is one of four that Bellator will be staging at the highly popular Kansas City Power & Light District. The Power & Light District encompasses multiple square blocks in the heart of Kansas City’s downtown area and features an exciting blend of restaurants, nightlife, and shopping, welcoming in excess of 6 million visitors annually.

“This tryout is the kickoff event for a spring and summer of excitement the likes of which Kansas City hasn’t seen before,” said Nick Benjamin, executive director of the Power & Light District. “It’s a great opportunity for a local talent to make his name in front of thousands of his fellow Kansas Citians in Kansas City Live!1—and the millions who’ll be watching on national TV—during the first main event on April 29.”

Tickets for the event go on sale March 6 at Tickemaster.com and at the Midland Theater box office downtown. Tickets will also be available at the tryout event and in select Power & Light District venues. Check out www.powerandlightdistrict.com for more information on ticket availability.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – He’s one of the premier boxers of the last 25 years, a future Hall of Famer who has won world titles in three weight classes while taking on a Who’s Who of the sport, including fellow champions Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Vassiliy Jirov, Roy Jones Jr., Mike McCallum, Iran Barkley, and Michael Nunn. But there is one more mountain left to climb for James “Lights Out” Toney, and that’s to show if he can defeat the mixed martial arts warriors of the UFC®.

So later this year, UFC President Dana White is prepared to give Toney his shot, signing the boxing superstar to a multi-fight contract this week to compete in the UFC.

“A lot of pro boxers have made a lot of noise about how they would do in mixed martial arts, but nobody on the level of a James Toney has been willing to back up his talk,” said White. “He’s a legend whose boxing record speaks for itself, and he’s a guy who I’ve got a lot of respect for. Now he’s got every intention of matching that success in MMA, and I think he’s got the right attitude – let’s see if he can do it.”

Owner of an amazing 72-6-3 (2 no contests) record that includes 44 wins by knockout, 41-year old James Toney is respected throughout the boxing world for his old-school approach to the fight game. For him, that means fighting anyone at anytime, and doing so by emphasizing all aspects of the sweet science.

31-2 as an amateur, Toney soon turned his sights to the pro game in 1988, and in 1991 he won his first world title at middleweight by knocking out unbeaten champion Michael Nunn in the 11th round. After six successful defenses, he moved up to 168 pounds and defeated Iran Barkley for the super middleweight championship in 1993, but he wasn’t done yet. After a stay at light heavyweight, Toney won the cruiserweight world title by defeating Vassiliy Jirov in 2003’s Fight of The Year, and his success continued at heavyweight, where he defeated Evander Holyfield, Dominick Guinn, and Fres Oquendo. In his most recent bout, on September 12, 2009, Toney – a two-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Fighter of the Year award – halted Matthew Greer in two rounds.

Current UFC fighters Marcus Davis, Chris Lytle and Alessio Sakara have competed as professional boxers in the past, but with today’s announcement, Toney becomes the most accomplished boxing veteran to ever compete in the Octagon™.

An opponent and date for Toney’s UFC debut has not been determined, and will be announced at a later date.

Posted by lvollmer on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 9:40 am | | | Comments Off on UFC signs legendary boxer James Toney

NEW YORK (January 26, 2009)– For the first time in history, Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) will offer live mixed martial arts (MMA) fight action online with a free of charge stream of the highly anticipated STRIKEFORCE welterweight (170 pounds) matchup between wrestling powerhouses Joe “Diesel” Riggs (32-10) and Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron (18-4) from BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida this Saturday, January 30.

The live stream of the STRIKEFORCE: Miami preliminary bout will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on the official EA SPORTS™ MMA website (www.easportsmma.com <http://www.easportsmma.com/> ), the online platform for EA SPORTS forthcoming MMA video game title in which STRIKEFORCE will be featured as a premiere league. The stream will precede the live SHOWTIME® telecast of the event’s main fight card, which begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Riggs, a 27 year old native of Phoenix, Arizona, will attempt to extend a four fight win streak that began with his second round (2:05) TKO of Luke Stewart in a STRIKEFORCE: Destruction bout at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on November 21, 2008.

In his last effort under the STRIKEFORCE banner, Riggs dominated hard-hitting “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni for three consecutive rounds of action before walking away with a unanimous judges’ decision victory at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center on June 6, 2009.

Hieron, a former nationally ranked NCAA wrestler for Hofstra University, has been victorious in each of his last six starts. The Long Island, New York native made his STRIKEFORCE debut in his last effort, earning a unanimous decision win over Jesse “J.T. Money” Taylor at HP Pavilion on August 15, 2009.

A former troubled teen, Hieron has since become an inspiration, winning a world title with the now defunct International Fight League (IFL) and relocating to Las Vegas in order to train with the fight squad headed by MMA legend Randy “The Natural” Couture.

Slated for release later this year, EA SPORTS MMA will feature the most authentic, intense and broad mixed martial arts experience to date – complete with a vast array of top fighters and fighting styles from around the world. EA SPORTS MMA will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in 2010.

The game will feature a host of STRIKEFORCE fighters, the six-sided STRIKEFORCE cage, the commentary team of Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, and ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. Legendary mixed martial arts referee “Big John” McCarthy will preside over the in-ring action and bring his in-depth knowledge of the sport to help deliver a truly authentic MMA experience. [confirm we have signed agreements and marketing rights to mention these people]

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, while EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer for the Wii is the most critically acclaimed product available for interactive fitness.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums, fantasy leagues and game communities, please visit www.easports.com <http://www.easports.com/> to connect, share and compete.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE: Miami are on sale at the BankAtlantic Center ticket office and Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 as well as online at www.Ticketmaster.com <http://www.Ticketmaster.com> and www.Strikeforce.com <http://www.Strikeforce.com> .

K.J. Noons has signed a multi-fight agreement with Strikeforce. Let’s hope a rematch with Nick Diaz in the works. Press release below:

K.J. NOONS SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE

NEW YORK (Dec. 3, 2009)– Former lightweight champion K.J. Noons (6-1) has signed a multi-fight agreement with world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE and will make his long-awaited return to the cage at a date to be determined soon.

Noons’ STRIKEFORCE debut will be his first MMA start since June 14, 2008, when he reeled off his third consecutive win in the cage by demolishing Yves Edwards with a series of punches and elbows just 48 seconds into their meeting at Honolulu, Hawaii’s Neil S. Blaisdell Arena.

Following the victory over Edwards, Noons began a hiatus from MMA in order to pursue a professional boxing career. He has since been victorious in four of five appearances in the squared circle, bringing his overall boxing record to 12-2 with 6 knockouts.

“I’m super excited to be a part of STRIKEFORCE and I’m looking forward to putting on great fights,” said Noons, who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Monday, Dec. 7. “I’ve always wanted to come back, but I wanted to box for a little while in order to polish my boxing skills. Now, I’m ready to jump back into the picture in MMA.”

To date, Noons’ most memorable stand in MMA was his meeting with dangerous striker and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Nick Diaz. In the first round, Noons opened a cut below Diaz’s right eyebrow with a hard knee strike to the head after Diaz shot in for a takedown and, soon after, dropped Diaz with a straight counter right hand.

After round one came to an end, the ringside doctor ordered a stoppage to the fight due to two cuts Diaz had sustained on his forehead. Noons was declared the winner of the fight by TKO.

Noons, who fights out of San Diego, Calif., also boasts a record of 13-1 with 10 KO knockouts in kickboxing competition.

“I feel a lot more confident with my game — my striking and everything else,” he said. “I feel I’m a more complete fighter and I’m ready to fight whoever STRIKEFORCE puts in front of me.”

One of my favorite middleweights in the world has signed with Strikeforce. This is great news for fans of US based MMA.

Press release below:

NEW YORK (Dec. 2, 2009) – DREAM and K-1 powerhouse Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef has signed a multi-year agreement to compete for world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 5-foot-8, 33-year-old, who hails from Amsterdam, Netherlands, comes to STRIKEFORCE after reaching the semifinal round of the 2008 DREAM Middleweight (185 pounds) Grand Prix tournament by scoring first round TKOs over Dae Won Kim and legendary champion Kazushi Sakuraba on May 11, 2008 and June 15, 2008 respectfully.

His well-known battle cry “When I fight, I am willing to die” has translated into Manhoef’s explosive style of fighting, one that has helped him earn 22 of his 30 career MMA wins and 27 of his 45 career kickboxing victories by knockout.

On Feb. 26, 2005, Manhoef initiated his best run to date, a 10-fight win streak in MMA competition, by stopping Matthias Riccio at Cage Rage 10 in London, England with a series of strikes in the first round (3:01).

Amongst his victims during the stretch were Ian “The Machine” Freeman and Crosley Gracie, both of whom Manhoef stopped in the first round with strikes. Manhoef was crowned Cage Rage champion on Sept. 10, 2005 after scoring a 51-second knockout with punches over Brazil’s Fabio Piamonte in London.

Asked on short notice to serve as a replacement in a heavyweight matchup with knockout artist Mark Hunt at the annual New Year’s Eve “Dynamite” extravaganza in Saitama, Japan last year, Manhoef obliged and, despite being at a tremendous weight disadvantage, crushed the Samoan fighter with an onslaught of punches a mere 18 seconds after the opening bell rang.

Manhoef’s career in K-1, the world’s premiere stand-up fighting league, dates back to Feb. 24, 2002. During his tenure with the Japanese promotion, he has triumphed over the likes of former K-1 tournament champions Stefan Leko and Ruslan Karaev, whom Manhoef flattened with a left hook only 31 seconds into their meeting in Amsterdam on June 23, 2007.

Born in Suriname, Manhoef relocated to Rotterdam with his family when he was three years old. He was introduced to the sport of Muay Thai by his brother and, at age 18, won his first bout.

The 5-foot-8, 33-year-old, who hails from Amsterdam, Netherlands, comes to STRIKEFORCE after reaching the semifinal round of the 2008 DREAM Middleweight (185 pounds) Grand Prix tournament by scoring first round TKOs over Dae Won Kim and legendary champion Kazushi Sakuraba on May 11, 2008 and June 15, 2008 respectfully.

His well-known battle cry “When I fight, I am willing to die” has translated into Manhoef’s explosive style of fighting, one that has helped him earn 22 of his 30 career MMA wins and 27 of his 45 career kickboxing victories by knockout.

On Feb. 26, 2005, Manhoef initiated his best run to date, a 10-fight win streak in MMA competition, by stopping Matthias Riccio at Cage Rage 10 in London, England with a series of strikes in the first round (3:01).

Amongst his victims during the stretch were Ian “The Machine” Freeman and Crosley Gracie, both of whom Manhoef stopped in the first round with strikes.Manhoef was crowned Cage Rage champion on Sept. 10, 2005 after scoring a 51-second knockout with punches over Brazil’s Fabio Piamonte in London.

Asked on short notice to serve as a replacement in a heavyweight matchup with knockout artist Mark Hunt at the annual New Year’s Eve “Dynamite” extravaganza in Saitama, Japan last year, Manhoef obliged and, despite being at a tremendous weight disadvantage, crushed the Samoan fighter with an onslaught of punches a mere 18 seconds after the opening bell rang.

Manhoef’s career in K-1, the world’s premiere stand-up fighting league, dates back to Feb. 24, 2002.During his tenure with the Japanese promotion, he has triumphed over the likes of former K-1 tournament champions Stefan Leko and Ruslan Karaev, whom Manhoef flattened with a left hook only 31 seconds into their meeting in Amsterdam on June 23, 2007.

Born in Suriname, Manhoef relocated to Rotterdam with his family when he was three years old.He was introduced to the sport of Muay Thai by his brother and, at age 18, won his first bout.

About STRIKEFORCESTRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

In what may be one of the worst decisions in MMA history, the California State Athletic Commission awarded Lyoto Machida a unanimous decision victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua this past Saturday.

Not one judge awarded a round for Rua, who was clearly controlling the fight. The “ten point must system” is used when judging MMA fights. The “system” is based on effective striking, grappling, aggression, and octagon control.

Mauricio Rua was clearly pushing the pace for most of the fight. Machida was on the defensive most of the time. There is your octagon control. As far as aggression, Shogun was throwing strikes with vicious intentions the entire night. Neither fighter hit the mat, and no take downs were scored so grappling is nullified.

Whenever there is a close fight like we saw this past Saturday, and an obvious poor decision is granted, I check the CompuStrike data immediately.

According to their data, Rua outlanded Machida 89-50 in the total strikes landed department, including 73 Leg Strikes . Shogun completely dominated the fight and did everything he needed to do to beat the undefeated Machida, including outlanding Machida in every round.

The Arm Strikes were virtually the same as both fighters landed 16 total Arm Strikes but it was Rua who dominated every position by landing the damaging Leg Strikes. Rua was able to land 46 kicks when going toe-to-toe with Machida, and landing 27 knees when in the clinch.

Former NFL and NCAA football superstar Herschel Walker will enter a new chapter in his career as a professional athlete when he makes his debut as a heavyweight in the world’s fastest growing sport – mixed martial arts (MMA) – as part of a multi-fight contract he has signed with world championship promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor will begin a 12 week training camp next month at San Jose, California’s American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host of the world’s greatest fighters, including STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson. The 6 foot 1 inch, 220 pound former running back, who already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, will be trained by AKA co-owner and head trainer Bob Cook.

“I’ve been training for several years. I would play college football games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments on Sunday after church I’m now looking forward to opening up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA,” said Walker, who recently was a contestant on the second hit season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice reality series on NBC.

“I flew to LA last month to watch Herschel train and was surprised to see his advanced wrestling and striking abilities,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts promoter of over 25 years. “He’s got work ahead of him, but he’s committed to training at one of the most notable gyms in the sport of MMA so it will be very interesting to watch him progress.”

Walker, a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, has never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.

Following his junior year at the University of Georgia where he had set the NCAA freshman rushing record en route to an undefeated season and Sugar Bowl championship victory over Notre Dame, Walker, a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained by the world’s largest professional football league at the time.

While the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning, and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.

Walker was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established himself as a premiere running back in the league. In 1986, he was the driving force behind a historic trade

that sent in to The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.

In 12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways – rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns. He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception, a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in one season (1994).

Off the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled competition. He also nearly made the Olympic sprint relay team.

Now 47 years of age, Walker, a native of Wrightsville, Georgia, will look to conquer a whole new world. It is a challenge he is extremely optimistic about.

“I will go in there and test myself against any 20 year old,” said Walker. “I know there will be naysayers and I’m fine with that. I want to prove to people who sit on a couch and don’t do anything but criticize other people that, if you’re a true athlete or martial artist, you’re not old until you can’t get up and walk around anymore. MMA fighters are said to be some of the best athletes in the world, my plan at the age of 47 is to show the world I am still one of the best athletes as well”

Web programmer by day, practicing mixed martial artist at night, Larry Vollmer Jr. brings the latest news from the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the rest of the mixed martial arts world - a fast-spreading obsession on TV and online. These are the bouts - they occur in an octagon-shaped "ring" - that test men's souls.